You Take the Good, You Take the Bad, You Take Them Both and There You Have a Post for Today

If you can read between the lines, we now have two women in the house. I bought Miss Mary flowers to celebrate her rite of passage, which I happened to think was quite symbolic.

She's taking the whole thing very well.

In other areas, things are very stressful at the moment. You know that sick, churning feeling you get when things are bad? Ugh, I feel that all the time. I wish I could stop caring. Do the work that needs to be done but take out the emotional aspect. I would be a much better parent if I were training dolphins instead of people. Here--have a fish, my child. Now swim away and be good.

Ah. Life is life and I could whine all day--but that's not who I want to be. I have to remind myself that through even hard times there are always good things. I need to work on not letting the negative lens obscure my view of the positive.

So on that note, I only have two more weeks of teaching seminary. I am ready to get on top of things for the next school year--Old Testament. I will memorize those 25 scripture masteries this summer because I am BEAST at memorizing stuff. For real. I am going to take down Brother Mecham at next year's activity and my class is going to be like, Whoa, Sister Jones--you rock. That's way better than last year when we thought you didn't know anything. Mark my words, friends. Mark. My. Words.

Yesterday Harrison and Cameron ran into the house, shouting. Cameron yelled, "Harrison peed on the side of the house!" and Harrison yelled, "No, Cameron peed!" I used my Mom powers to deduce that they had both done it, and they conceded. Then Cameron said, "Well, at least I peed in a bucket like a civilized person." I asked what he did with the contents and he said he poured it into the dump truck. Oh yes . . . civilized indeed. Boys!

Katie got her stitches removed yesterday and the vet said she's doing great. She wore the cone for several days but I was very glad to take it off of her. Poor girl couldn't even go down the stairs or jump out of the car very well. But I did take her on a walk at the park, where she tore after a jackrabbit at breakneck speed--she looked like a streak of black with a white neck halo. She almost caught that bunny! But it slipped out under the fence. I was falsely secure in Katie's inability to scrunch under with her cone, but the next thing I knew she was outside the gates and trotting back with a different, run-over roadkill rabbit in her mouth. Crazy dog!

We watched a very interesting DVD on Black Mormons for Family Home Evening. Out of the blue Tyce mentioned that he was thinking of preparing to receive his patriarchal blessing, after the example of his friend Dessa.

Mary had to write a paper about Ulysses S. Grant. She read her rough draft to me while I typed the final. Her essay included anecdotes such as Grant's siblings' reactions to his leaving for college. The oldest sister feigned indifference but told him later she was proud of him. Mary's final sentences were something like, "The mourners hailed Grant as a beloved President. As his sister passed his tomb, she whispered, 'Goodbye, Lys . . . you will always be my little brother.'" I looked up and asked, "She really said that? Wow." Then Mary said, "No, but I thought it sounded good. I mean, it's not like anyone's going to know whether she said it or not, right? They're all dead." Oh my word. If it wasn't morally wrong to rewrite history I'd have typed it because, I must admit, it did sound good.

I love my husband with all my heart. He is my best friend and I couldn't make it through life--or through the day--without him. I thank the Lord I made an excellent choice when I married him, back when I was naive and inexperienced in life. When the chips are down Bryce picks me up, makes me laugh and gives me hope. Some days that's definitely what I need.

Now I'm off to do the kindergarten carpool. Besides memorizing stuff, herding six little kids into a minivan is pretty much my specialty.